


going to bat (for you)

by illea



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - Sports, Baseball, Daddy Issues, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-08
Updated: 2020-06-08
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:14:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 860
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24613603
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/illea/pseuds/illea
Summary: After months of sneaking around, Hiram finds out that Veronica is in a relationship with his star pitcher Archie Andrews.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge
Comments: 11
Kudos: 16
Collections: dim sum drabbles





	going to bat (for you)

“I have to go,” Archie sighed, pulling away from Veronica. “The boys are going to get suspicious if I’m not in the locker room.” 

Veronica pretended not to hear him as she leaned in for another kiss. Archie was impossible to resist in his baseball uniform. She absentmindedly wondered if he’d be willing to wear it to her apartment after a game someday.

“Ronnie, I’m serious,” he said, taking a step back. Giving in, she waved him away with a smile.

“Have a good game, Archiekins.” His cheeks reddened at the nickname. Reggie, the team’s third baseman, had been teasing Archie with it ever since he overheard Veronica say it on the phone a few weeks ago. Luckily Reggie couldn’t bring it up in front of the other boys because he was a good friend. Her relationship with Archie wasn’t a secret exactly — it only needed to be kept from one pair of eyes and ears — but too many of the boys were babies who would run to the boss at the first whiff of favouritism.

“I love you,” Archie shouted, jogging down the hallway and disappearing through a set of red double doors. Veronica watched the empty space for a moment before making her way to the VIP box and settling into one of the black leather armchairs.

“Martini, two olives,” she said to the attendant. In less than a minute, it was placed on the table beside her. She downed it in three gulps and felt more prepared to face her father. Almost.

“One more?” she asked, turning towards the waiter with a charming smile. He smiled back at her like she knew he would and ran off to make another drink.

“You might want to slow down, mija.”

Hiram walked into the box in his trademark black suit. He gave her a brilliant smile as he removed his sunglasses and leaned down to kiss her cheek.

“Daddy,” she greeted, returning the kiss on his other cheek. “Always good to see you.”

“Are you sure it’s me you came to see?” he asked, settling into the chair beside her. Veronica eyed the green baseball diamond where the players would soon be getting started. She and Archie had cut it awfully close. Had her father seen something?

“Of course I came to see you,” she said smoothly. The waiter arrived with her second martini and she took it from his hands, bypassing the table this time. “Why would you think otherwise?”

“Be careful, mija. You know what athletes are like.”

“I don’t, actually,” she said, refusing to let her father catch her out. “I have no reason to know what athletes are like.”

Hiram picked up the maple whisky he’d ordered and sipped it slowly, as if contemplating something.

“All those days on the road… the fans chanting… it can go to anyone’s head. Even someone like Archie.”

“I’m not interested in your red-headed wonder boy,” Veronica scoffed. Hiram laughed.

“So the lipstick he was wiping off his neck in the locker room wasn’t Flossier #5?”

Dammit. Veronica usually checked for any trace of herself on Archie before he left, but they’d cut it too close today. Having a signature lipstick had its downsides. Veronica tossed her hair over her shoulder and turned towards her father with a steely smile.

“Archie would never hurt me,” she said. “He plays games on the field, not off. You wouldn’t know what that’s like.”

Hiram leaned forward and brushed his thumb down the side of her chin, eventually grasping it in his cupped hand.

“You will never be a game to me, mija.”

Veronica yanked her head out of his grasp. She might not be a game, but she’d always been a prize for him to win. From her mother, from her boyfriends, even from herself. He always needed to control her and she was sick of it. 

Veronica took a deep breath, gearing up for a fight, when the announcer’s voice blared over the speakers. The Riverdale Rangers came pouring out of the door and onto the field, the crowd cheering at an unbelievable volume. The players all looked similar from up here except Archie. His red hair glinted noticeably in the sun. Even just the sight of him calmed her down.

Archie walked up to the pitcher’s mound and shook out his arms, getting ready. He stretched his right arm behind his back and Veronica’s eyes followed. As he always did, Archie curled his hand into a fist and stuck two fingers out, spreading them into a V. 

In a second it was gone, his arms moving into position as he prepared to pitch, but that second was enough. Rain or shine, home or away, Archie never forgot to remind her that he was cheering for her as much as she was cheering for him.

“Excuse me,” Veronica said to her father, smoothing out her skirt as she stood up. “I have a game to watch.”

She pushed past the door, ignoring her father’s protests behind her, and took the stairs down into the stands, towards the hard plastic seats and the shouting popcorn vendors and the wide open air.

**Author's Note:**

> (prompts: Veronica Lodge, sports AU)
> 
> This was written as part of a flash fic challenge with [jessequicksters](https://archiveofourown.org/users/jessequicksters/) where we choose a fandom/character and trope/scenario out of a box.


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